Ex-SNP chief exec admits taking money from party to buy cars and games consoles
- Published
An important figure in Scotland's biggest political party has admitted to taking more than £400,000 in party funds.
Peter Murrell was the chief executive of the Scottish National Party(SNP) for 22 years, but stepped down in March 2023 and was arrested by police a month later.
He's admitted to embezzling money - where someone secretly takes money that is in their care or that belongs to the organisation or business they work for - between August 2010 and October 2022.
He pleaded guilty at the High Court in Edinburgh and could face a long prison sentence, as well as having all the items he bought with the money taken away.
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Who is Peter Murrell?
As chief executive of the SNP, Peter Murrell was paid to be in charge of how the party was run.
He was also married to Nicola Sturgeon, who used to be the first minister of Scotland and was the leader of the Scottish National Party.
The couple decided to end their marriage in January 2025.
The former First Minister said: "I had no knowledge or suspicion whatsoever that he was using SNP funds for personal purposes".
Nicola Sturgeon went on to say that she is "utterly appalled" and "cannot begin to understand why".
What did Peter Murrell spend the money on?
Peter Murrell bought a wide variety of items with the money he took from the SNP.
Over 10 years he spent almost £2,000 on games and gaming equipment like a Playstation 3 console, a Nintendo Switch and an Xbox One.
He also bought vehicles including a Volkswagen Golf, a Jaguar I-Pace and a luxury motorhome.
Peter Murrell also purchased every day items, like fancy coffee machines and luxury coffee beans, as well as watches and a fancy pencil sharpener worth £110.
What is everyone saying about the scandal?
First Minister John Swinney is the current leader of the SNP
Assistant Chief Constable Stuart Houston said the former SNP chief executive "abused his privileged position" in order to "bankroll the lavish lifestyle he craved but could not afford".
The current SNP leader and First Minister of Scotland John Swinney has apologised to party members.
He said he is "horrified" by Peter Murrell's behaviour and called it an "overwhelming betrayal".
"By embezzling from the SNP, Peter Murrell was stealing the hopes, the dreams and the aspirations of thousands of people all over Scotland", he added.
However he insists that the party is now under "good governance and good financial management".
Nicola Sturgeon said she was 'angry, hurt, sad and very distressed' by her former husband's actions
Nicola Sturgeon says she had "had no knowledge or suspicion whatsoever" that Murrell was using SNP funds for personal purposes.
The former First Minister said that they were both earning "high salaries" and that they "rarely socialised or went on holidays".
She also said that they "had separate bank accounts and I had no access to his financial records".
Scottish Labour and the Scottish Conservatives have also been having their say
Opposition parties have also been giving their reaction, with Scottish Labour's deputy leader Jackie Baillie arguing that there are still questions to be answered.
She said: "It was Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP party machine that attempted to close ranks and shut down scrutiny when questions about the finances started to emerge and we need to know why."
Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay also accused the former first minister of having "shot down concerns about the SNP's finances".
